Lateralisation, Split Brain Patients, Plasticity Flashcards
What is Lateralisation?
The idea that the two halves of the brain are functionally different and certain processes or behaviours are controlled by one hemisphere.
What was the aim of Sperry (1968)’s study?
To investigate what functions of the brain are lateralised.
What was the procedure of Sperry’s study?
Compared split-brain patients to others with no hemisphere separation. Different activities were tried with the patients including touch of objects and visual presentation of stimuli to see how the different sides perform on tasks.
What were the findings of Sperry’s study?
LEFT visual field: they could not describe it (they often reported that there was nothing there).
RIGHT visual field: they could easily describe the picture shown to their right visual field.
The left hemisphere
Dominant for managing and speech and language
Hemisphere of the brain
Two hemispheres connected by nerve fibres called the Corpus Callosum which allows them to communicate
Right hemisphere
Specialise in visuo-motor tasks
Ao3
The purpose of lateralisation is unclear
P: Lateralisation is assumed to increase neural processing capacity
E: However, there is little empirical evidence of any functional advantage of lateralisation in humans
E: Lateralisation enables chickens to be better at performing two tasks simulatanosily (finding food and watching predators)
L: This suggest that the lateralisation of function may enhance efficiency when carrying out simultaneous but different tasks
Split-brain patients may develop new abilities
E: For example a patient know as a JW developed the capacity to speak about info presented to either hemisphere
E: This shows that his lateralisation was not fix
L: This supports the idea that lateralisation is determined by use and the brain can adapt to new requirements
However, Laterlisation is not fixed but changes with ages for many types of tasks
Szaflarski et al
E: Healthu older adults have less lateralisation of function, using both hemispheres more as they get older.
E: Szaflarski et al found that language lateralisation increased during childhood and adolescence, but decreased steadily after age 25
L: This suggests that older people’s brains recruit both hemispheres to increase their processing powers, perhaps to compensate for age-related cognitive decline.
What Ao3 are you suing for Lateralisation and spilt-braij research
Lateralisation
- Purpose of Laterlisatiok is unclear
- Lateralisation is not fixed
Spilt brain
- Spilt brain patients may develop new abilities
- Spilt-brain research has limitations as patients who had this procedure are rare
Spilt-brain research has limitations as patients who had this procedure are rare
E- The procedure is rarely carried out, and many studies only included few p’s of even just one
E- These painters may have had underlying physical disorders or there may have been some intact nerve fibres remaking
L- This means that results of studies are not always replicated and it may be indigenous to draw general conclusions
